Downtown's rebirth continues to build momentum
The Brunswick News Dec 14, 2019
We have been harping a lot on how downtown Brunswick continues to show signs of an area on the verge of exploding. But don’t just take our word for it, look at what has happened in the last year or so.
Developers who see the potential downtown Brunswick has are flocking to the area. They are buying up old buildings and turning them into apartments or new business ventures. They are investing time, money and hard work into their projects because they believe downtown Brunswick is primed for a turnaround.
One of those developers that believes that downtown Brunswick is close to a rebirth is Brad Piazza. He formed the company Port City Partners on that very belief. Piazza and his wife, Elizabeth, wanted to be a part of downtown’s revival.
To that end, Piazza purchased the former Leotis building on the 1500 block of Bay Street with plans to turn the second floor into living space. Piazza’s plan calls for construction of nine studio apartments and two two-bedroom apartments.
Piazza described the units as affordable luxury apartments with the studios renting for about $800 a month. The complex will include balconies, a gym, laundry room, storage sheds, coffee bar for tenants and wi-fi access. Work is scheduled to begin in February with the apartments available by summer of 2021.
This is the kind of investment that will help bring in more people to downtown Brunswick. It’s taking a distressed asset and turning it into something that is needed for the area.
Piazza said the second floor of the building had been unoccupied for decades. Turning it into apartments is the perfect way to not only make a valuable piece of real estate back in use, it helps bring in more people who are looking to live in downtown Brunswick.
The Leotis building has some businesses that already occupy the first floor. We like that Piazza said he would never kick out those tenants. We also like that he plans to use local contractors for his project.
Downtown Brunswick’s revitalization is happening before our eyes. There are people in both the public and private sector who are dedicated to making sure this happens.
Now is the time to get on board, for everyone to do their part to keep this momentum going in the right direction. If that happens, there is nothing that will slow down this train.